


Plans Not Followed

by fansbyproducts (sisaat)



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Awkward Carlos, Cecil Is a Good Boyfriend, Distracted by Science, Literal Sleeping Together, M/M, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-27
Updated: 2014-09-27
Packaged: 2018-02-19 00:27:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2367548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sisaat/pseuds/fansbyproducts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After their first few dates, Carlos invites Cecil one evening to watch a movie, with the intention of moving their date to the bedroom at some point. He gets distracted by Science at some point between the "cuddling on the couch" phase and what was supposed to follow.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Plans Not Followed

Carlos stared down at the complex equations and graphs filling the notebook in his lap and wondered where he went wrong. He had invited Cecil to come watch a movie with him, the first time he brought him here instead of taking him out for a date, and he had hoped that the evening would progress along the path his research material—a collection of steamy romance novel his team lent him—suggested.

 It had started well, the two of them cuddling on the couch under a blanket and paying more attention to each other than whatever cheesy science-fiction movie had been playing. But when the movie was over, there was this fascinating documentary that related to some of his current research and now several hours had passed and he had a notebook full of notes and new theories and Cecil had long since fallen asleep, slumped against his shoulder.

Carlos sighed, put down the advanced piece of technology he used to take notes—which was not a pen and which he didn’t give a name to in the hope that it would complicate things for the city council should they wish to make it illegal—and looked down at Cecil. He slept with his face pressed into Carlos’ shoulder, his purple-framed glasses pushed up on his forehead. His watermelon hair clip was slipping off and long strands of hair fell over his eyes. Carlos gently brushed them off. Cecil’s hair was one of the things intriguing him lately. As far as he could tell, it hadn’t been cut since they met, even though all available data pointed to Cecil having kept it short before. Carlos wondered if that was some sort of Night Vale courtship thing. More research was needed before he could come to a conclusion.

“Cecil,” Carlos called and shook the sleeping man’s shoulder. “Wake up.”

Cecil mumbled something against his arm, shifted, tried to lift his head, let it fall back against Carlos’ shoulder, tried again and slowly, reluctantly, pried his eyes open. He assessed his surroundings, his position slumped against Carlos’ side and the notes in the scientist’s lap, opened his mouth to say something, yawned instead pressed his face back into Carlos’ shoulder, the plastic frame of his glasses digging somewhat painfully into his flesh.

“How was science?”

“Very scientific. I’m sorry, Cecil. I invited you here to have a good time and instead I got distracted by this documentary and now it’s so late.”

Cecil raised his head again to look up at him.“Oh, Carlos, perfect, beautiful Carlos. There’s nothing to apologize for. I had a wonderful time.”

Cecil smiled like he meant it and maybe he did. He was certainly more willing to put up with Carlos than anyone he had ever dated or tried to date in the past. The scientist kissed the top of his head as an apology the other man claimed wasn’t needed. Maybe it wasn’t too late to salvage this.

“Still, I’d feel bad letting you go home so late. Maybe you could… if you want, that is, maybe you could stay the night.”

Cecil’s whole face lit up. “Stay?” he squeaked. The radio host blushed at the sound of his own voice and he cleared his throat. “If you offer me a place on your couch to spend the night, dear Carlos, I will happily accept.”

“Ah, yes. But, previous experiments have shown that the couch is a terrible place to spend the night. It is too small and the stuffing his terribly insufficient. But, according to my calculation, based on its surface area and our body sizes, I have come to the conclusion that, scientifically speaking, there is more than enough space for both of us on the bed. Although bed isn’t really the proper scientific word for it. It’s a mattress on the floor. But it’s still more comfortable than the couch.”

“But Carlos, I wouldn’t want to impose…”

“No, no it’s… fine. It’s fine.”

* * *

Carlos wasn’t so good at communicating clearly what he wanted. This was probably why, even though he invited Cecil here with the intend of finishing the night with both of them in bed tangled together, it ended up instead with him lying on one side of the mattress, with Cecil, his back to him, staying as far as he could without falling off the mattress for fear of intruding upon his personal space. Carlos very much wanted him into his personal space, but he didn’t really get that point across very well. He sighed.

“Cecil.”

“Yes?”

“I’ve been thinking…”

“It’s what scientists do,” Cecil finished for him, sounding a little proud that he had remembered. Carlos smiled despite the embarrassment. This hadn’t been his proudest moment. He was supposed to be smart, but it wasn’t so easy whenever Cecil looked at him like he meant the world to him.

“I’ve been thinking about space, and how…”  _Don’t ramble_ , he admonished himself. “And how there a lot of it between us right now.”

“Oh? Would you say… that it’s  _too much_  space?”

“I would say it’s an excessive amount of space.”

“I would agree.”

Cecil shifted on his side of the bed, scooting away from the edge and toward Carlos. When he came near enough, the scientist reached for him and pulled him the rest of the way until Cecil’s back was pressed against his chest. The other man melted in his arms with a sigh of contentment. Carlos smile, threaded his fingers through Cecil’s hair to comb it away from his neck so he could bury his nose there. He kept carding his hair, enjoying the feel of it between his fingers. Cecil seemed to enjoy it too, from the way he tilted his head to allow him better access.

“Are you trying to grow your hair?” Carlos asked into the silence, his curiosity now demanding to be satiated. Cecil tensed and Carlos pressed a kiss onto his neck, not sure if he had said something wrong.

“I don’t trust barbers anymore.”

Carlos snorted noisily and pressed his mouth into the crook of Cecil’s neck, more in an attempt to stifle his laughter than anything else. He should have guessed that was what it was about. Cecil huffed at his reaction.

“I can’t say I sympathize. I haven’t been able to get a haircut in a year because everyone is too terrified to cut it.”

Cecil let out a panicked little noise and tangled his fingers into Carlos’ curls as if he worried they would suddenly disappear. The scientist chucked against his neck and pressed a soothing kiss under his jaw. At some point, they would need to have a talk about haircuts and Cecil using his influence to drive people out of town out of irrational anger, but that could wait. So could his original plans for the night. Instead, he buried his nose behind Cecil’s ear and played with hair that smelled faintly of bubblegum-scented shampoo until Cecil’s breathing slowed and deepened as he fell asleep in Carlos’ arms.

Tonight hadn’t turned out so bad after all.  


End file.
